Of the Box

Scientists Have Invented The Strongest And Lightest Material On Earth

For many years, scientists are aware that carbon, when ordered in a certain way, can be extremely strong. Example: graphene. Graphene is known like the strongest material so far and is made from a really thin layer of carbon atoms ordered in two dimensions. But there is also one disadvantage – on the one hand, it is remarkable for its distinctive electrical properties and thinness, but on the other hand, it’s very hard to create three-dimensional materials that are functional out of graphene.

Currently, MIT scientists found out that taking small, thin pieces of graphene and compressing them and fusing them together into a mesh-like structure, not just keeps the strength of the material, but the graphene stays porous too.

Experiments were conducted on 3D printed representations, and based on that scientists have ascertained that this material with its distinct form is in fact stronger than graphene (10 times stronger than steel with just 5% of the density of steel).

This discovery of an exceptionally strong, but extremely thin and light material will have many applications.